Many of us are familiar with the cloud. We store files, images, music in applications that can be accessed from a device anywhere we are. This relatively recent way of computing and storing is now making its way into offices around the world, and how cloud applications impact the workplace is an ever-evolving facet of professional life today.
Cloud-based applications allow for more mobility and fluidity of transfer between users than storage on a hard drive or local server. The ability to make software, data, and applications easily acceptable to employers, IT staff, and employees can help cut costs, increase productivity, cut waste, and allow for a more nimble office operation. In addition, the cloud allows for access from anywhere. It can make working remotely less of a wild card and more reliable, potentially increasing productivity among workers.
There are some concerns to transferring more data, software, and applications to a cloud-based system. Companies will have to add extra layers of security to ensure that the information available on a public cloud is as safe as possible. It ultimately may be a wise investment when companies consider the many upsides to having centrally located, easily acceptable data available to them and those with whom they do business.
An additional concern is whether the connection speeds are sufficient to handle an increase in cloud-based operations. There are competing schools of thought as to whether current levels and speeds of connectivity can accommodate such a migration or whether they need to be beefed up in anticipation of the rise of the cloud in the workplace.
Ultimately, it’s an idea whose time seems to have come. The ability to transfer and store data in the most efficient and accessible way possible is becoming increasingly integral to successful business. As technology evolves at breakneck speeds, it’s important that companies begin to incorporate aspects of technology that they and their employees are already using in their personal lives. The benefits are evident: increased efficiency, productivity, accessibility coupled with decreasing costs and obstacles to sharing and accessing data. The companies that are able to incorporate cloud technology into their business dealings and everyday internal processes, while being vigilant about security, will soon distance themselves from their competition.
